Now Commenting On:

Notes: Kazmir to make next start

Notes: Kazmir to make next start

Email

Print

By Bill Chastain
/
MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Unlike James Shields, Scott Kazmir has not been shut down for the season.

Kazmir is "going to make his next start as long as we keep him on the program we have and ... feel confident that he's OK," said manager Joe Maddon. "He looks like he's gotten friskier the last month or six weeks. I like the way he's throwing, his delivery. And he's throwing as hard as he has all year."

Shields has pitched more innings, but Kazmir has thrown more pitches, so what gives?

"It's just the way [Kazmir] looks right now, watching their followup and their workouts," Maddon said. "It just seems it was easier to let Kaz go on at this point than it was for Shields. Also, we talk about the number of pitches, but the up and down does matter. I just felt like Kaz was a little fresher right now than Shields."

Injury update: Carl Crawford and Brendan Harris were out of the lineup again on Sunday -- Crawford with a strained left groin and hamstring, and Harris with a strained left shoulder.

"Nothing [new on either]," Maddon said. "Carl's the same, so's Harry. I don't expect either one to play today."

According to Maddon, Crawford's recovery has "kind of plateaued."

"I'm not so sure right now that he's going to be able to do this," he said. "[I was] a little more hopeful the first game back, but it just doesn't seem like it's going anywhere that we need it to go for him to participate right now. He has made progress, just not to the point where he comfortable with it."

Upton first 20-20 Ray: By stealing his 20th base of the season on Saturday night, B.J. Upton -- who has 24 home runs on the season -- became the first player in Rays history to have 20 steals and 20 home runs in a season.

In addition, Upton was hitting .303 entering Sunday's game. If he finishes the season above .300, the 23-year-old will join Alex Rodriguez, Orlando Cepeda, Vada Pinson and Cesar Cedeno as the fifth player in Major League history to have 20 steals, 20 homers and hit .300 in a season at the age of 23 or younger.

K Rays: By striking out 10 times on Saturday night, the Rays moved to 1,270 Ks for the season, two more than the Tigers for the most in American League history. The 2001 Brewers hold the Major League record, with 1,399.

Rays pitchers also lead the American League in strikeouts (second in the Majors), with 1,135, which ties them with the 2002 Yankees for 22nd most in AL history. In the last 50 years, only five clubs have led its league in both batter and pitcher strikeouts.

'Los on the loose: First baseman Carlos Pena hit his 41st and 42nd home runs of the season on Saturday. In doing so, he recorded two homers in a game for the 12th time in his career and tied Jorge Cantu (2005) for the most multi-homer games in a single season, with four.

Pena's four RBIs on Saturday gave him 116 for the season and left him one shy of Cantu's club record of 117 (2005).

Pena's 42 home runs are eight more than the Rays' previous record of 34 (Jose Canseco, 1999; Aubrey Huff, 2003) and 15 more than his previous career high (27, with Detroit in 2004). His 116 RBIs are 24 more than his previous career best (82 with Detroit, 2004).

Pena also drew a walk on Saturday night, giving him 92 for the season and breaking Fred McGriff's record of 91 (2000).

This and that: Since beating Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka on Aug. 15 at Fenway, Andy Sonnanstine is 0-2 in three starts against the Red Sox. ... Delmon Young now has 180 hits, making him the 19th rookie in the last 50 years to reach 180 in a season. He leads all Major League rookies and is now just four hits shy of Rocco Baldelli's club rookie mark of 184, set in 2003. ... The Rays' current five-game losing streak is their longest since they lost eight straight from July 21-28.

Up next: The Rays begin a three-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET to finish out their 2007 home schedule. Right-hander Jason Hammel (2-5, 5.88 ERA) will start for the Rays, and he will be opposed by Roger Clemens (6-6, 4.18).

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.